Events.

Chicago River Revival Festival & Big Jump

In honor of Friends' 40th Anniversary, please join us for the Chicago River Revival Festival and the Third Annual Big Jump! Presented by McDermott Will & Emery at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown on Saturday, September 7, 2019 the festival will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p .m.

Activities include: MWRD Commissioner Josina Morita and Friends’ 3rd Annual Big Jump, the Chicago River Photobomb, lion dancers, food trucks, music, park tours, canoeing , fishing, live river animals, and other fun river activities. You are welcome to bring a blanket and picnic if you like.

REI is offering 40% off kayak rentals as well!

Parking is available at the fieldhouse but limited so please come:

By WaterTaxi! Wendella is offering 1/2 price tickets on day passes September 1 - 8th if you use the discount code REVIVAL. This will allow you to explore the river by boat which is always fun!or

Via mass transit using CTA Red Line Chinatown stop

Here is the schedule:

9 a.m.: Opening Press Conference

9:30 a.m.: Big Jump!

10 a.m.: Tai Chi Class

10 a.m.: Fifth House String Quartet

10:30 a.m.: Park Tour

11:30 a.m.: River Photobomb

11:45 a.m.: Lion Dancers Performance

12 noon: Mural Dedication

1 p.m.: Chinese opera

1 p.m.: River Conservation Projects Q&A

1:45 p.m.: Traditional Chinese music

1:30 p.m.: Park Tour

2:30 p.m.: Mariachis

3 p.m.: Park Tour

3 p.m.: River System Planning Q&A

3:30 p.m.: Blue Fish Boys

Live animals will be on display between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Animals scheduled to appear are a barred owl, a barn owl, a Red-tailed hawk and box turtles.

To find out more about the event, please revisit this webpage for more details, sign up for our weekly e-alerts at chicagoriver.org. Contact Annette Anderson, volunteer and events associate, at (312) 939-0490, ext. 14 to learn more about volunteering, jumping, or contributing to the Chicago River Revival Festival.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Kim Olsen-Clark, director of development, at (312) 939-0490, ext. 19.

If you are a media professional, please contact Andrew Herrmann, director of communications, at (312) 939-0490, ext. 12.

Past Events

Friends of the Chicago River is the only organization solely dedicated to the Chicago River system.

Since 1979, Friends has been working to improve the health of the Chicago River system for the benefit of people and wildlife and by doing so, has laid the foundation for the river to be a beautiful, continuous, easily accessible corridor of open space in the Chicago region.